The instant invention relates to earrings, and more particularly, to a clutch and post for pierced earrings, wherein the clutch is effectively retained on the post to retain an earring on an ear of a wearer to prevent inadvertent loss of the earring.
Most of the pierced earrings currently available are of a type which comprises an elongated substantially straight cylindrical post which is receivable through an aperture in an earlobe of a wearer, and a clutch which is receivable on the post on the rear side of the earlobe so that it frictionally embraces the post and thereby retains the earring on the earlobe. The most common clutch construction for pierced earrings of this general type comprises a base portion having an aperture therethrough and a pair of curled resilient leaves which converge and meet in substantially face-to-face relation along the axis defined by the aperture. When a clutch of this type is received on an earring post, the resilient leaves embrace the post where it passes therebetween and accordingly the leaves cooperate to frictionally retain the clutch on the post. However, it has been found that a clutch and post arrangement of this type can be less than entirely satisfactory for securing an earring on an ear of a wearer and that in many instances clutches of this type have become dislodged from the ends of posts and this has resulted in the loss of the earrings. Obviously this presents a more serious problem with expensive earrings, such as earrings bearing precious gems or the like, although it is really a problem with a wide range of the heretofore available pierced earrings. In order to overcome this problem, a variety of other types of pierced earring post and clutch constructions have been developed to securely retain pierced earrings on the ears of wearers. The devices disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Artzt 3,040,406, Masters 3,630,048, Tucker 4,139,993, Green 4,184,343, Block 4,245,484, Block 4,236,385, Mancini 4,307,582, Evans 4,353,370, McDonald et al 4,382,317, and Rapseik 4,397,067 are exemplary of other types of posts and clutches which are adapted for use in earring constructions and represent the closest prior art to the instant invention of which the applicant is aware. However, these devices have also not been entirely effective for retaining earrings on the ears of wearers and some of them are relatively expensive to manufacture because of high material costs, particularly when they have been constructed of precious metals. In this regard, since most earring clutches and posts are required by law to be either constructed from, or at least plated with, precious metals in order to minimize the risks of infection to the wearer's ear, material costs are normally a primary concern. In any event, none of the above patents teach the novel features of the earring clutch and post of the instant invention and hence they are believed to be of only general interest with respect thereto.
The instant invention provides a pierced earring clutch and post which are operative for effectively retaining a pierced earring on an earlobe of a wearer but which can be manufactured relatively inexpensively and hence the clutch and post of the instant invention have substantial advantages over other heretofore known post and clutch constructions. Specifically, the clutch of the instant invention comprises a base portion having an aperture therethrough and a pair of curled resilient leaves which extend from the base portion and converge so that they substantially meet in face-to-face relation along the axis defined by the aperture. The leaves are, however, formed with serrations thereon which are engageable with an earring post received through the aperture and between the leaves so that the serrations are operative for retaining the clutch on the post with enhanced effectiveness. Preferably the serrations are embodied as serrated ribs which are centrally disposed on the leaves and co-extend with the leaves from the base portion to the terminal ends of the leaves. It has been found that when the clutch of the instant invention is constructed in this manner the serrations of the ribs are operative for effectively grasping a post when it has been received in engagement therebetween to retain the clutch on the post, and the ribs also function to strengthen the leaves. In fact, it has been found that when the clutch is formed with serrated ribs on the leaves, the entire clutch can actually be constructed from a metal having a slightly reduced thickness and this feature is particularly significant when the clutch is constructed of a precious metal. Preferably the clutch is used in combination with a pierced earring post having a plurality of substantially circumferential grooves therein which are interengageable with the serrations on the clutch so that the grooves and the serrations cooperate to further retain the clutch on the post. When the clutch and post of the instant invention are embodied in this manner, they can be relied upon to effectively retain an earring on an earlobe of a wearer and because of their high degree of reliability they can be utilized with even highly expensive earrings.
Accordingly, it is an object of the instant invention to provide an effective post and clutch for a pierced earring.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide an earring clutch having serrations thereon and a post having circumferential grooves therein, wherein the serrations on the clutch are engageable with the grooves in the post to effectively retain the clutch on the post.
A still further object of the instant invention is to provide an earring clutch having serrated ribs which are engageable with a post to retain the clutch on the post and which also add strength to the clutch.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.